Adult Youth Partnership Workshop Survey Results

SummaryIntroductionIn 2008, the Minnesota Department of Human Services used Alcohol, Tobacco, and OtherDrug (ATOD) prevention program funds to hire Wilder Center for Communities to provideyouth leadership training to the Planning and Implementation grantees’ (P&Is) youthgroups. The trainings were designed to engage youth in their ATOD group while helpingthem choose a community action project that, when implemented during the school year,will allow the community to enact environmental changes related to ATOD issues. Anotherconcept introduced in the trainings was the importance of adult and youth partnerships andhow they both play a part in using strategies to implement environmental changes.During the early fall of 2008, Wilder Center for Communities facilitated leadershiptrainings with each of the nine P&I youth groups. Participants were asked to complete asurvey at the end of the training to provide feedback about their training experience andfuture plans for implementing a community initiative. Twenty-one adults and 165 youthcompleted surveys (Figure 1). This report presents the combined results for all sites foradults and youth. The appendix lists the youth results separated by site.Survey resultsProgram qualityParticipants were positive about the quality of the training workshop. Threequartersof the adults “strongly agreed” and the remaining quarter “agreed” that theworkshop was well organized, the facilitators were knowledgeable, and the informationprovided was useful. Similarly, three-quarters of the youth participants “strongly agreed”and a quarter “agreed” that the facilitators were knowledgeable and that the workshopwas well organized. Fewer youth (64%) “strongly agreed” that the information presentedwas useful (Figure 2).Adult and youth participationAdult and youth participants indicated that they actively participated in thetraining. In general, the participants “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that they participatedin the training. About two-thirds of each group “strongly agreed” that they understoodthe point of the workshop, had the opportunity to contribute to the discussion, that thechosen project reflected the ideas of the overall group. About half of the respondents“strongly agreed” that their opinions were considered when the group chose the project.ATOD: Creating Community 1 Wilder Research, July 2009Adult Youth Partnership Workshop survey results